BEST way to remove wrinkles???

dukeboy1977 · Nov 25, 2011

I'm getting into looking for more backgrounds than my simple grey paper and am coming up with a problem. Yes I've researched it before asking but can't find definite answers so I thought I'd ask for previous experience. What is the BEST way to remove wrinkles from your backdrop? I thought and have read that steam is good so I bought a steamer...I was wrong, it didn't work well at all. I really hate when I see a nice model in front of a wrinkled background, it ruins the photo for me!! What have YOU done or tried, and what materials have worked well for you? I'll check back in a lil bit to see my answers if any. Thanks, Jeff

MLeeK · Nov 25, 2011

I bought a rail system so I didn't have to take them down ever.

The best option? freedom cloth.

I steam anything I need to and then attach with clamps to a baseboard to pull tight.

Place your subject several feet in front of your backdrop so that the DOF kills any remaining problems

fjrabon · Nov 25, 2011

+1 on MLeeK. If you walk into any pro studio and compare the shooting area to what an amateur has done, usually the most noticeable difference (other than the vastly superior lighting) is that the pro studio has the 'action area' a lot farther away from the background than the amateur does.

DavidSutphin · Nov 25, 2011

How powerful of a steamer did you try?

dukeboy1977 · Nov 26, 2011

It was a 1000 watt Shark steamer...David, I loved your site! Maybe we could talk and you could help me get to 1/2 of where you are? lol By all means sir, hit me up at my email. Jeffcduke@yahoo.com when you can. Thank you sir, Jeff Duke

I will PM you my website address for you to look. I know its really amateurish compared to yours, but it's a start! I just want simple so I got this.

Big Mike · Nov 28, 2011

Firstly, you (and everyone else) needs to realize that background are like subjects...to look good, they need to be properly lit. Even a mostly smooth backdrop will look wrinkly if you side light it with a single (hard) light. But if you evenly cross light the backdrop, the light cancels out the shadows and it look smoother.

Also, if you can keep your backdrop out of the DOF, you can make it appear blurry, which will reduce the look of any wrinkles/texture...plus, it makes your subject stand out more.

The key to this (and where most amateurs fail) is to use a large enough space that will allow you to keep your subject far away from the backdrop. This allows you to keep it out of your DOF, but also give you enough room to light it separately from the subject.